After a fire, almost nobody will finance the house. We are not financing it.
Structural burn, smoke through the framing, a roof that is partly open. None of that stops a cash close, and none of it needs to be cleaned up first.
Get a number on itInsurance changes the deal, so tell us early
If there is an open claim, who receives the proceeds becomes the central question. Sometimes the seller keeps the settlement and sells the damaged shell for less. Sometimes the claim gets assigned to the buyer and the price reflects that instead.
Both work. What does not work is finding out about the claim two weeks into a closing, because the mortgage servicer usually holds insurance proceeds in escrow and releases them against repair progress. That escrow has to be unwound as part of the transaction.
The mortgage does not pause because the house burned
Payments keep coming due on a house you may not be able to live in, while you are also paying for somewhere else to stay. That double cost is what pushes most fire sellers to move quickly, more than the damage itself.
If you have fallen behind since the fire, the arrears get paid at closing out of proceeds like any other payoff. You do not need to catch up first.
What we are actually pricing
Not the char. We are pricing what it costs to get back to a sellable house, which usually means demolition and haul off, framing, systems, drywall, and finishes, plus the months of holding cost while that happens.
Smoke that traveled into wall cavities and ductwork is the part people underestimate. A room that looks untouched can still hold odor that requires the ceiling to come down. We assume that rather than hoping otherwise.
Five questions. That is the whole thing.
We already know your situation from this page. Change it if it does not fit.
Question 1 of 5
What people ask about this
Do you buy houses with a total loss fire?
Yes. Total losses and partial burns both. If the structure is beyond saving we are effectively buying the lot, and we will tell you that is what the number reflects.
Can I keep the insurance money and still sell?
Often yes, depending on your policy and your mortgage. It changes the price because we are then buying the damage as well. Tell us which way you want to structure it.
The fire marshal report says the cause is under investigation. Is that a problem?
Not for us, though it can hold up your insurance settlement. It does not have to hold up a sale if you are not relying on the proceeds.
Often it is more than one thing at once
Get a number on it.
No cost, no obligation, and nobody shows up at your door unless you ask them to.